Carolina Hurricanes' Joni Pitkanen (25), of Finland, and Philadelphia Flyers' Danny Briere (48) skate for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Gerry Broome

Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) defends the net as Tuomo Ruutu (15), of Finland and Anton Babchuk (33), of Ukraine, work against Philadelphia Flyers' Jody Shelley during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, of Russia, takes a puck to the facemask as he makes a save against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Carolina Hurricanes' Joni Pitkanen (25), of Finland, and Philadelphia Flyers' Danny Briere (48) skate for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Gerry Broome

Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) defends the net as Tuomo Ruutu (15), of Finland and Anton Babchuk (33), of Ukraine, work against Philadelphia Flyers' Jody Shelley during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, of Russia, takes a puck to the facemask as he makes a save against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Flyers fans couldn't be blamed for taking a cautious approach
with their optimism this season.

Last season's run to the Stanley Cup finals was fueled by two
journeyman goalies who got hot, a trio of forwards who nobody
wanted just a few months earlier, and a defenseman in his mid-30s
who needed knee surgery in the offseason.

But the Flyers found a budding star, Sergei Bobrovsky, to replace
those journeymen between the pipes. Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell
and Ville Leino have picked up where they left off as one of the
league's top lines. And the Chris Pronger-led defense has continued
to be one of the league's best.

As a result, the Flyers are contending with Washington for the best
record in the Eastern Conference.

And they are for real.

This team doesn't have Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby. But it's as
deep as any in the league.

The Flyers are built around Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, who both
have contracts that will keep them here for at least 10
years.

But Carter and Richards are no Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They're no
Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, or even Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel
Datsyuk.

That's not a problem anymore. The Flyers don't need a super duo
because of their depth. Briere, Hartnell and Leino have been just
as good as they were in the playoffs last year, giving the Flyers a
legitimate top line before you even get to Carter and
Richards.

Then there's Claude Giroux. Ex-Flyer and radio analyst Chris
Therien said two years ago that Giroux would end up being the
Flyers' best player and one of the top five in the NHL. The way
he's played this season, that might not be far off.

If immensely talented underachievers Nikolay Zherdev and James van
Riemsdyk ever pick it up -- and Van Riemsdyk was impressive Monday
against Ottawa -- the Flyers' offense gets even scarier.

Then there's the defense. Chris Pronger is back to his dominating
self after offseason surgery. And while the third pairing was a
weakness last season, new acquisitions Sean O'Donnell and Andrej
Meszaros have been among the league's best pairs, making the
Flyers' blue line even more daunting. Come playoff time, this will
be the last group that any forward wants to face.

Goalie was the biggest question entering the season, as it always
is with the Flyers. Ever since Ron Hextall in 1987, seemingly every
quality goalie in the NHL has entered the league with another team.
Time after time, Flyers prospects have failed to pan out, leaving
them to rely on the Sean Burkes, John Vanbiesbroucks, Jeff Hacketts
and Ray Emerys of the world.

No more. Sergei Bobrovsky is the real deal. The kid's raw talent
has never been in doubt. His lateral quickness was on display in an
excellent outing Monday against Ottawa.

The question with Bobrovsky was how he would adjust to the NHL. On
top of the main challenge facing any talented young goalie -- can
he be unflappable at the highest level? -- Bobrovsky never had
played on an NHL-sized rink before this season.

But from watching Bobrovsky, you'd think he had been playing in the
NHL for years. Out of nowhere, the Flyers appear to have finally
found a quality home-grown goalie.

The Flyers are piling up points right now, running away with the
Atlantic Division title. But the scary thing for other teams is
they are built more for the playoffs. Their unique scoring depth,
impenetrable defense and stud goalie give them as good a chance as
anyone to bring another Cup celebration to south Philadelphia --
and this time, instead of the Blackhawks, it could be the Flyers
celebrating.